


I Found God

by I_have_a_Mycroft_of_my_very_own



Series: Guardians and Regulators [1]
Category: Bones (TV), James Bond - Fandom, NCIS, Sherlock (TV), Stargate Atlantis, Supernatural, The Sentinel
Genre: lets go down to crazy town
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-03
Updated: 2016-09-03
Packaged: 2018-08-12 18:34:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7944913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_have_a_Mycroft_of_my_very_own/pseuds/I_have_a_Mycroft_of_my_very_own
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They’re not a conventional pair. In fact, they shouldn’t even be a pair, but here they are, an Archangel and his Guide. </p><p>God just loves throwing curve balls.  </p><p>Good luck, earth, you’re going to need it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> This is the only entry I actually managed to complete on time for Rough Trade. Whee. :) 
> 
> If I'm remember everything correctly, this is set during Aliyah for NCIS and after Hammer of the Gods for Supernatural (I'm moving timelines around, shhhh, we do not speak of it).

He used to see the tiger when he was a little boy. Before her death, his mother used to tell him that when he was a baby, the tiger cub would sometimes come and cuddle up to him in his crib. She’d been so happy to have given birth to a Shaman. His nonna had called the tiger ‘Sciabola’ and Tony had decided the name fit, his mother took to calling it ‘Bola’. When Tony’s mother died, the tiger stopped visiting and Tony allowed himself to believe it had been a figment of his imagination. Until now.

* * *

He doesn’t come online during the fight with Rivkin, he doesn’t know why. He comes online later, when there are enemies on all sides, and he has no friends. He comes online when he is being punished for _surviving._ He comes online during the wait for Director David to deign to make an appearance in the ‘interview’ room.

It’s not painful, not like he expects it to be. One moment he’s desperately trying to keep himself in check, and the next thing he knows, he’s feeling the emotions and intentions of everyone around him, and he feels like there are giant walls in his mind keeping his emotions from getting out. Bola appears seated at his side, and when Tony sees him, he understands what has happened.

It’s easy, then, to outmaneuver Eli. Tony’s always been very good at reading body language, but now he doesn’t even need that to tell what Eli’s intentions are. It’s like taking candy from a baby.

* * *

When he returns from Israel, he’s finally allowed to go back to his empty apartment. In his dreams, he trains with Sciabola on the Psionic Plane. His tiger communicates with him through a series of feelings and images projected at him and Tony finds himself eager to learn. He remembers his nonna telling him that it was very rare to have a spirit guide that could teach a Sentinel or a Guide how to control their gifts, that normally only the feline spirit guides could Teach, and even then, not all of them. His nonnahad also had a spirit guide who could Teach. His name had been Piccolo and he had been a Kodkod.

* * *

He has no friends here, he’d thought- but no, there are no friends here for him. The fact that Gibbs chooses him over Ziva doesn’t matter. Ziva betrayed Gibbs’ trust. Gibbs was never going to choose her. It doesn’t matter. There are enemies on all sides and if he doesn’t get out now, he’ll never get out.

It’s time to leave NCIS behind. When he dials the number he has no regrets.

* * *

Tobias Fornell watches Anthony DiNozzo enter the restaurant and he sucks in a deep breath as his senses focus themselves on the man. Tony DiNozzo is _finally_ Online, and he’s the most powerful Guide Tobias has ever met. Tony determinedly walks to the table and drops himself down into the chair opposite Tobias, sighing as he does so.

“I was kind of hoping to keep my new status secret. Forgot you were a Sentinel.” Tony says, scowling, Tobias laughs and shakes his head.

“You wouldn’t have been able to keep it secret for long, anyway.”

“Yeah. So, you’re not surprised?” Tony asks, a frown on his face. Tobias is silent for a few moments as he contemplates his response.

“There are Sentinel and Guide families of note within our Community. Normally, they’re families that produce female Sentinels, Alpha Sentinel Primes, or Shaman at least once every generation. When I met you, and had to dig into your past during your multiple times being framed for murder, I was surprised by your lineage. Your mother comes from a line of exceptionally powerful female Sentinels; she was as gifted as any of them were. Your father comes from a line of revered Shaman, on his mother’s side, his father’s line is quite mundane. Your father did not inherit the Shaman gene, it passed right over him. I imagine this to be a good thing, seeing how he uses his Guide gifts.” Tobias admits, narrowing his eyes.

“I do not want to imagine what my father could do if he was a Shaman.” Tony agrees, shaking his head. “He would be a menace.”

“More than that, I imagine. But that’s not all that surprised me about your lineage, Tony. Your mother should never have bonded with your father. She was an Alpha Sentinel Prime, and he was a level 7 Guide. That’s nothing to be ashamed of, but your mother shouldn’t have been able to bond with anyone below a level 9.”

“I know.” Tony admits, sighing heavily. “I don’t believe they were ever well matched. But my mother was pregnant when my father came online, and they would have gone their separate ways if I hadn’t been born a Shaman. My spirit guide appeared beside me the moment I was placed in my crib, and my parents knew immediately what I was. They bonded because of me, because they knew they’d never be able to settle anything in court and neither of them was willing to give me up.”

“That’s not in the records.”

“No, it wouldn’t be.” Tony answers, dismissing the comment. “Anyway, Tobias, aren’t we supposed to be discussing my new job?”

“Right.”

* * *

In the end, Tony registers at the Sentinel and Guide Centre at the behest of Fornell. The Centre takes his new status about as well as one could expect. They rush around after him, trying to ensure his happiness until he demands they stop.

_“Shaman DiNozzo, if there is anything you require please let us know. It would be our honour to assist you!”_

He spends a week in basic classes, proving to them he has control over his gifts, thanks in no small amount to Sciabola.

_“Your sarcasm is noted and not appreciated, Shaman DiNozzo. We’re trying to help you.”_

_“I understand that, Guide Elis. But I know how to build my shields, and I know how to take them down. I know how to project on others, and I know how to buffer others. I know how to bring a Sentinel out of a zone. There’s nothing you are trying to teach me that I don’t already know.”_

He has a minor squabble with the Director of the Centre over attending Sentinel and Guide meet ups, the end result being he won’t and doesn’t have to.

_“My Sentinel will find me, Guide Fairchild. And if they fail to do so, I am perfectly equipped to find them myself.”_

_“Shaman DiNozzo…”_

_“To be perfectly honest, Guide Fairchild, it’s not your decision to make in regards to my attending the meet ups. You’re certainly welcome to try and force me to attend, but you will fail.”_

He also has a fun time watching everyone freak out at the random and frequent appearances of Sciabola, apparently extinct animals acting as spirit guides is very uncommon. What a surprise.

_“I-is that a… is that a sabre-toothed tiger?”_

_“He would be a sabre-toothed tiger, yes. I believe the correct term for his species is Smilodon.”_

_“I need to go. I need to go. I need to go.”_

Eventually, the Centre decides there’s nothing more they can do to help Tony, and they send him on his way, after agreeing to keep his new status secret from those outside their community.

* * *

Gabriel is in Antarctica when he feels the tingling in his mind, and Hester appears at his side with a screech.

“Yeah, buddy, I know. Dad is playing his stupid games again.” Gabriel says, his voice shaking. He reaches out a trembling hand and runs it over Hester’s feathers, the Haast's Eagle leaning into the touch. “I don’t think I’m ready for this.”


	2. Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention in the first chapter, but if you have a problem with angels/other people blatantly disregarding/disrespecting God, this is not the place for you.

“So, do I go? Do I not go? What do I do?” Gabriel asks, swirling the wine in the glass he’d been handed somewhere during the course of his impassioned freak out.

“Well, Gabriel. It’s nice to see you. Also nice that you’ve come to me for advice, for the first time in your life.” Balthazar answers, sounding both amused and confused. “I thought Dad deactivated our Regulators?”

“I thought He had. He _told_ me He had. Maybe He changed His mind? Balthazar, what do I do?!” Gabriel exclaims in a whine; Balthazar simply rolls his eyes in response.

“You’re a Guardian, Gabriel. The _First_ Guardian. Go and find your bloody Regulator.”

“But they’re human. I can’t bring a human into this. I can’t bring my _Regulator_ into this! We’re in the middle of the ‘Apocalypse’! “ Gabriel retorts, air quotes and eye roll included.

“Maybe Dad thought better of you blowing the horn?”

“No. I’ll know when the real apocalypse begins, little brother. Trust me on that. Don’t change the subject.”

“Fine. So your Regulator is human. What does that matter? They have an Archangel Guardian to protect them. That’s your job.” Balthazar replies, exasperated.

“Did you miss the part where _Lucifer_ nearly killed me?! And would have if Dad hadn’t been on the ball when He made me? When He made _us?_ ” Gabriel cries, shaking his head. “No, no, no. There’s no way I can protect my Regulator if I bring them into all of this.”

“If you give them the Guardian Blessing they’ll be protected for as long as you live.”

“Right. And I nearly died.”

“Would you stop being such a baby?” Balthazar huffs, glaring at his brother. “Lucifer has never held a Guardian Blade. There’s _no_ way he’d ever be able to tell the difference between a regular Archangel Blade and the Archangel Guardian Blade. So there’s no way he could have ever killed you, especially considering your Archangel Guardian Blade is still on display in some damn museum.”

“Yeah. I need to go and get that back…”

“Don’t change the subject!”

“Right. _Fine!_ I’ll go and find my Regulator. You are the worst!”

“I try!” Balthazar yells as Gabriel disappears with a snap of his fingers.

* * *

Apparently, part of being a Shaman involves spending ridiculous amounts of time in the Spirit Plane, or the Ridiculous Blue Jungle, as Tony calls it. His nonna had told him that one day it would be his responsibility to walk the Spirit Plane, to ensure the balance was kept, to interact with the other Shaman, and to keep the secrets of their people. Tony had been all of five years old at the time, and hadn’t really understood what she’d been saying to him, but he understands now. There is so much information held by the Shaman and kept from the Sentinel and Guide Community, and the Mundane Community, in turn.

“Why?” Tony asks, as he watches Bola interacting with the spirit guides of the other Shaman.

“Sometimes, there is information that the Community just aren’t prepared to know yet, and won’t be for a long while. The idea that every single person on the planet could come online if the right Stressor is presented? That’s something the World just isn’t ready to know yet.” Blair explains, eyes trained on Bola. Tony had discovered pretty quickly that the other Shaman absolutely adored Bola.

“And that. I don’t understand that. How is that possible? Every person on the planet?” Tony exclaims, eyes wide.

“We don’t really understand it, either. What we do know is that Sentinel and Guide families almost always produce children who _will_ come online as Sentinels or Guides. There is a gene we’ve discovered that we are calling the Activator. It is present in _every_ Sentinel and Guide, latent or online, that comes from a Sentinel/Guide family. In Mundanes, and Sentinels and Guides who have come online from Mundane families, we’ve discovered another gene, alongside the inactive Sentinel and Guide genes. We’re calling it the Provider gene. The children of Sentinels and Guides from mundane families all have the Activator gene, their parents have the Provider.” Blair explains, excitedly, he always gets so excited when he talks about this stuff.

“When a Sentinel/Guide bloodline ends, the Provider gene automatically activates the Sentinel/Guide genes in Mundanes. We are not yet certain how, since it shouldn’t be possible. But the existence of this Provider gene explains why some of the same sex pairings in history provided no children from outside of the pairing. It explains why same sex pairings today do not have the urge to Continue the Species that male/female pairings have. Nature provides.” Q adds with a little smile.

“So what? A bloodline ends, and another begins, just like that?” Tony asks, bemused.

“Yes, exactly. Also, the older a bloodline is, the more powerful the Sentinels and Guides produced.”

“So, Shaman-?”

“Yes!” Blair exclaims. “Shaman and Primes historically came from old Sentinel/Guide bloodlines. There are sometimes surprises, where a Mundane will come online as a Shaman or a Prime, like Meredith McKay for instance. They are incredibly rare, however. We’re still trying to figure out why that happens.”

“And we can’t let _anyone_ know this?”

“No. They’re not ready yet.”

“How long have Shaman known this?” Tony asks, eyes narrowed.

“Shaman have had stories and speculations throughout our history, we’ve only started to get any sort of confirmation in the last few years thanks to modern medical science.” Q answers, shrugging his shoulders. “That’s the same for most of the things we know, actually.”

“Right. I can see my Undercover skills are going to come in handy, if I’m going to be keeping secrets.”

“Definitely!”

* * *

 _“Gabriel, my son, I’ve decided to dismantle the Guardian Sector. There is no longer a need of it, the humans have taken to the Genes far more readily than I had anticipated.”_ Gabriel mocks as he hovers over DC. “Yeah, right, Dad. God, you’re so fucking full of bullshit.” He growls, before soaring off to peruse the city his Regulator apparently calls home. Hester soaring along beside him.

* * *

Tony starts work at the FBI on the eve of every single Sentinel in the city suddenly becoming on edge, it means working with Fornell is a nightmare.

“And you have no idea what’s causing it?”

“No!” Fornell exclaims, rubbing at his forehead. “It feels like there’s a new Alpha in the city. But I’ve never met anyone who feels like this.”

“They could be a Prime.” Tony offers, a frown on his face.

“If they are powerful enough to have every Sentinel in the city on edge, I’d imagine they are a Prime. But I’ve met Primes. None of them felt like _this_.” Fornell sighs and shakes his head. “I just- I can’t even pinpoint where they are. I just _know_ they are here.”

“I’ll speak with the others about it.”

“Hmm.”

* * *

“There are stories, recorded by Guides and Sentinels from past civilizations all around the world, they talk of a being appearing amongst them, powerful and awe inspiring. When he appeared, it is said that all Sentinels, even Alpha’s, would bow to his authority. They called him the Guardian. He was considered to be the First. I thought the stories were just speaking of Primes, but now I’m not so certain.” Blair explains, frowning.

“I’ve heard of the Guardian.” Temperance admits, sighing softly. “Most of the stories about him come from Scandinavia. The Viking Berserkers were believed to have been ‘blessed of the Guardian’. I’ve never known who they were referring to, or what, but I’ve long suspected the Berserkers to have been Sentinels.”

“So, this Guardian is here now?” Tony asks, eyebrows raised.

“It would appear so. If the Guardian is in DC, we’ve got a serious problem.” Blair states simply, Tony frowns at him.

“Besides the Sentinels being on edge?”

“Yes. The stories also tell of Chaos accompanying the Guardian. Our ancestors considered the Guardian to be the Sentinel’s answer to the Trickster of Mundane mythology. He was considered to be judge and jury to all in the Tribe, and his Tribe was all the peoples of Earth.”

“Okay. Great!” Tony exclaims, loudly. “We’ve got a super powered Sentinel running around who is going to start playing games with people. Yeah, just great.”

* * *

DC is full of lust and avarice; it makes Gabriel’s head spin. He can’t go ten minutes without running into someone just dripping with sin. It gets on every last one of his fucking nerves until he finally decides to do something about it.

He lets Loki out to play.

All it takes is a simple bit of meddling and the humans become the creators of their own demise.

Bodies start dropping in ridiculous and ironic ways and places, it’s a nightmare.

* * *

“If this is the Guardian, his body count is incredibly high for being in the city five days. How is he doing it?”

“We think he’s a Prime, don’t we?” Blair asks, resting his head back against the tree he’s propped up against. Apparently Shaman meet ups nowadays involve seclusion in the Jungle of Blue.

“Yes we do, why?” Q questions, playing a game with his spirit guide, Pi, a Common Octopus.

“What if he’s compelling them with his Guide gifts?”

“No.” Rodney replies, having dropped in when he’d felt the collective anxiety of the Shaman still on Earth. “Our gifts don’t work that way, not even for the Primes. We can’t compel anyone to injure or hurt themselves. We certainly can’t compel people to throw themselves out of a 50 story building.”

“Oh.” Tony exclaims, sitting up quickly. “What if he’s not compelling them to hurt or kill themselves?”

“Explain.” McKay demands.

“What if he’s compelling them to make amends for whatever wrong they’ve done? He’s judge and jury, right? So the people dropping dead are people he’s judged and found wanting. What if he’s compelling them to make amends? And because most of us understand that there are things in life that cannot be forgiven, maybe these people believe that to make amends, they have to die.”

“Oh.” McKay exclaims, as Blair and Q look thoughtful.

“Whatever he’s doing, we need to find him, and get him to stop.” Temperance states, the others nodding in agreement. “He is threatening the tribe.”

“You’re right. If mundanes find out a Prime is responsible for these deaths, we’ll have chaos. Everything we’ve worked so hard to achieve will be undone.”

* * *

Tony, it would seem, doesn’t have to go very far in order to find the Guardian. Seeing as the man is just _there_ one day in Tony’s apartment. Tony has no idea how he got in, but he did, and a great deal of him doesn’t actually care how because he knows the man in front of him is _his._ That doesn’t mean he lowers his gun.

“Has no one ever told you that breaking and entering is a crime?” Tony asks, resisting the urge to throw himself at the man, who smirks at him. And really, someone who has just broken into a federal agent’s apartment should not be smirking. Especially not with a gun aimed at their face.

“Someone might have mentioned it, one or twice over the years. I forget.” The man replies, that smirk still on his face. It makes Tony feel a little bit wild, and isn’t that strange? Isn’t _he_ supposed to be the Guide in this relationship?

“Who are you?”

“Well, I think you know the answer to that.” The man replies, a self-satisfied grin on his face, and suddenly Tony just wants to punch him.

“Oh, so we’re not going to exchange names then, Sentinel?” Tony retorts, glaring darkly. The man frowns at him, and Tony is surprised by the genuine confusion he can feel from the man.

“Sentinel?” he asks, sounding the word out, before rolling his eyes. “Ah. My name is Gabriel, and I’m not a Sentinel, I am a Guardian.”

“What’s the difference?” Tony questions, raising an eyebrow. Gabriel smirks back at him, and once again Tony just wants to punch him.

“That’s a discussion for a later time.” Gabriel admits, turning from Tony to peruse the apartment. “Do I get the honour of your name, Regulator?”

“Oh. Tony. And, uhm, I’m a Guide.”

“No, you’re a Regulator. It all comes back to what makes being a Guardian different from being a Sentinel.” Gabriel seems like he wants to say more when he suddenly cocks his head to the side, his face furrowing. “If you’ll excuse me. I’ll be back.” Gabriel states, before simply _vanishing_ before Tony’s eyes with a snap of his fingers.

“Okay, so something tells me that has to do with what makes Guardians and Sentinels different?!?” Tony asks the empty apartment. He doesn’t expect a response but is greatly startled when an image of Gabriel surrounded by a bright light appears in his mind. He looks around for Sciabola only to find the tiger dozing in a sunspot. The shriek of a bird of prey sounds, and Tony spins towards it to find a _giant_ eagle watching him from a perch upon the piano. “Hello.” Tony says, his eyes wide in surprise. “I guess you’re Gabriel’s then?”

The eagle inclines its head and projects a feeling of ‘safety, protection, mine, beloved’ at Tony, who smiles back.

“Yeah, okay. I needa go… speak to some Shaman about a guy. I’ll be back.” Tony says, heading into his bedroom and sitting on his bed, he allows himself to sink into the Blue Jungle.

* * *

The moment Tony opens his eyes in the Jungle, he forcefully tugs on the threads that link him to the other Shaman, he sends a small apology along the thread as an afterthought, and feels guilty when Temperance appears beside him with a little yell. Of all of them, she is the only one still learning to build the shield in her mind that will keep her from being plucked to the Jungle against her will.

“Sorry.” Tony says, noting how startled she and her leopard guide, Hunter, are.

“It’s fine. What’s wrong?” Temperance questions, calming herself down, as she does so, Hunter disappears into the trees.

“Uhm. Let’s just wait for the others.” Tony replies, not really wanting to have to explain everything more than once.

Q, Mycroft, and Blair appear shortly afterwards, Pi wrapped around Q like… well, like an octopus. Mycroft’s Russel’s Viper spirit guide, Sylar, is spiraled around Mycroft’s neck like a scarf. Blair’s wolf, Chief, rolling over on the ground.

Almost immediately after, Rodney appears with Teyla at his side. The alien Shaman had been excited and relieved to learn that the Fall of Sateda had not been the end of the Shaman, and when the Earth Shaman had adopted her into the fold without much fuss, her gratitude had been palpable. Rodney’s wolf spirit guide, Loup, dashes off to go play with Chief. Teyla’s spirit guide, Fray, leaves her side to climb up into the branches of one of the trees, where she is always most comfortable.

Teyla’s spirit guide had given them all heart attacks the first time they’d met her. She was something Teyla called a Vulpex. It was like a cheetah had mixed with a tiger and produced a creature with a tiger’s coat and a cheetah’s speed. Tony absolutely adored Fray, whose true name was apparently something no one outside of Pegasus could pronounce.

“Hi, uhm sorry for the harsh tug, I may have overreacted?” Tony says, looking guilty.

“You feel differently.” Blair states, apparently voicing the opinion of the other Shaman as they all nod in agreement and stare intently at Tony. “What’s happened?”

“So, I found my Sentinel.” Tony states, smiling widely, it looks a little psychotic.

“Oh, yay. So what’s that, all of us bonded now?” Rodney exclaims, eyes shining.

“Gabriel and I have not bonded yet. There is a partial bond, due to our meeting, we haven’t accepted or denied it, yet. But-“

“Why haven’t you bonded?” Rodney exclaims, getting into Tony’s face. “Oh my God. You have to do it. It’s like, the greatest thing you’ll ever experience in your life.”

“Rodney, how about we let Anthony talk?” Teyla cuts in, voice disapproving.

“Oh.” Rodney says, stepping back. “Yeah, right, sorry.”

“Right. Well, as I was going to say. Gabriel is the Guardian.”

“You’re kidding!!” Q exclaims, as Blair starts shaking his head.

“Oh man, that’s so… I don’t even know, man.”

“Why haven’t you bonded?” Temperance asks, frowning.

“We were talking. Then he just… vanished. Literally _vanished_ right in front of me. What do I do with that?!” Tony exclaims, throwing his hands in the air.

“Oh, well, then…” Rodney starts, allowing himself to trail off.

“Maybe if you bond with him, the Sentinels in the city will calm down?” Mycroft hedges, Tony shrugs his shoulders.

“So, we’re just going to ignore the whole vanishing thing?”

“Definitely.” The others reply simultaneously.

“Alright, then. I’ll just… head on back and wait for my Sentinel, then.” Tony states, making a face. “You guys were no help at all!” He says, allowing himself to return from the Spirit Plane. “I don’t know why I even go to those guys for help.” Tony huffs, as he heads back out to the spirit animals.

* * *

Gabriel returns two days later, Tony acknowledges his presence with a slight raise of an eyebrow, and a glance towards the eagle, who has kept watch over him since Gabriel’s abrupt departure.

“So you did come back.” He says, flipping the page of the book he’s reading.

“You don’t sound very pleased.” Gabriel states, crossing the room to ruffle his Spirit Guide’s feathers, the eagle squawking indignantly and soaring off into the Spirit Plane.

“I’m sorry, was I meant to be ‘ _pleased’_ that my supposed bond mate just vanishes in the middle of a conversation and doesn’t even bother to introduce me to his Spirit Guide first?” Tony questions, anger bubbling away nicely in his voice, Gabriel winces.

“Sorry. Uhm, whenever he gets his butt back into this plane, you can call him Hester.”

“Good. Thank you.” Tony replies, calming some. “The great fur ball is Sciabola.” He states, indicating the sabre-toothed tiger, who is, once again, sunning himself. Sciabola glances up towards Gabriel, growls a greeting and then rests his head back down on the floor. “Where did you go?” at this, Gabriel sighs heavily and rolls his eyes. He throws himself down on the couch and lets himself sink into the comfortable cushions.

“Ugh. You have any siblings?” Gabriel asks, seemingly ignoring Tony’s question.

“No. Only child.”

“Lucky you.” Gabriel replies, scowling. “One of my numerous younger siblings required my presence.”

“That happen often?”

“More than you would think, considering I’m a) supposed to be dead, and b) have been in witness protection for the last few thousand years.”

“Oh?”

“It’s a long story, I’ll tell you later.”

“Déjà vu.” Tony states, glaring at his Sentinel, no, his _Guardian._ Gabriel sighs heavily and shakes his head.

“Honestly, I don’t know how to explain anything in a way that you won’t think I’m crazy.”

“Right, because I watched you vanish right in front of my eyes, and I believe you to be the Guardian of legend. But yes, anything more you have to say that might actually help me understand all this is what’ll make me think you’re crazy.” Tony says, rolling his eyes. “Why are you all like this!?” Tony exclaims, throwing his hands in the air. “All of you. Sentinels, Guardians, whatever the fuck you call yourselves. None of you know how to explain yourselves at _all!”_

In response to Tony’s yelling Sciabola jumps to his feet and crosses to his Human’s side, nuzzling against Tony’s legs. Tony reaches out and strokes his fur, the tiger chuffing.

“I _can’t.”_ Gabriel exclaims, a bitter little laugh escaping his lips. “Hell, you’re not even meant to be _Emerged!!_ You ask me to explain what makes Sentinels and Guardians different, what makes Regulators and Guides different, and I _can’t._ The difference? You’re not meant to be Emerged. You are a Regulator; your Potential is a Guardian. You aren’t meant to be Emerged. Father told me He deactivated you, _all_ of you. But here you are, _active._ I don’t know what to tell you! _”_ Gabriel yells, his voice sounds with a shriek of a bird of prey, Tony responds in kind, with a roar of a feline predator going for the kill.

“I can’t be what you need me to be if I don’t know what I am!” Tony replies, shooting to his feet, Sciabola whacking him lightly with a paw for disturbing him. “I can’t help you! The Shaman are all calling for me to bond with you, to see if I can settle you, to see if our bond will settle the Sentinels in the city, but I can’t _help_ because you won’t tell me _anything_!”

“I _can’t!_ I don’t know what you want from me!! Yes, I’m the First Guardian, the very first Guardian. I’m different from your Sentinels because I’m _not_ human. And if you’re my Regulator, you’re probably not fully human, either. Thanks to Dad and His stupid fucking experiments!!” Gabriel sneers, his eyes glowing with a bright, unearthly light.

“You’re not human?” Tony asks, cocking his head to the side. “Start there.” Gabriel frowns at him, the light slowly fading from his eyes.

“I thought you’d have figured it out by now. My name is Gabriel. I’ve been alive throughout all human history. I’m the First Guardian. My Father has control over life and death. And I have more siblings than anyone else in-”

“No!” Tony exclaims, the pieces clicking together. His eyes widening. “Seriously?!?”

“I would not lie to you, Tony.” Gabriel promises, and the tension in the room seems to settle a little. It is the first time either of them has used the other’s name to their face.

“So, you’re an angel? And the Guardian Sector? Is that where our myths of Guardian Angels come from?”

“Yes. Father made me the Archangel Guardian. It means I have power over every other Guardian, or Sentinel, in existence. When Father created us, He didn’t truly know what He was doing. He didn’t expect our desire to bond. Of the angels, He created three hundred Guardians and three hundred Regulators. None of us were ever compatible. He introduced the gene into the humans when He first created them, and was startled to discover our Potentials among them. He deactivated them, and our desire to bond, when He realized that you humans would populate like, well, rabbits didn’t exist then, either, but you get the point. The gene was passed on too quickly; Father could not control it. He realized having angelic Guardians and Regulators might be a stretch too far, and He left us our abilities, but He took from us our Potentials. Or He told me He did.”

“Oh. You know, for not being able to explain anything, you’re doing a good job.” Tony says, smiling softly at Gabriel, who returns it, ducking his head.

“It’s kind of my specialty? Messenger of the Lord and all that. I’m… supposed to be good with words.”

“You think I’m not fully human, why?”

“Hmmm. Sector Regulators are capable of utterly wrenching a Guardian out of a spike, zone, or feral episode without doing them any harm. We called them Regulators because they are capable of taking control of our senses and moving them to the correct levels if we are incapable of it. Regulators can do this for any Guardian, not just their own. It is what makes them different from Guides. We do not need guidance, we require regulation.”

“That is amazing.” Tony states, his eyes wide open. “No, really, that is amazing! And you think I can do that?”

“Of course. Guardians require Regulators, we could not support a bond with a regular Guide, it would not work.”

“Oh.”

“Are you freaked out yet?” Gabriel asks, his voice sounding small in a way Tony is already certain it rarely ever does.

“Little bit, yeah. But I’m not ready to run for the hills just yet.” Tony replies, laughing. “Just tell me before you go vanishing off anywhere again, okay?! And please for the love of… well. Apparently not your Father? Please stop killing people!”

“Oh.” Gabriel exclaims, eyes wide in surprise. “Figured that out, did you?”

“Yes, the Shaman and I have conversed about it a few times.”

“Hmm. You mentioned them before, they’re Guides, too, aren’t they?”

“They’re the most powerful manifestation of the Guide, yes.”

“And they all have Sentinels?”

“Mhm. I’m the last one of our group to bond.”

“Hmm.” Gabriel answers, a curious light in his eyes, and a mischievous smile on his face, that Tony has only seen this once, but already recognizes as danger.

“What are you doing?”

“I just have a hunch that I need to go and check out.” Gabriel answers, and it’s all the warning Tony gets before the angel vanishes before his eyes.

“What the fuck? We’re soooo discussing appropriate warnings when you get your ass back here!!” Tony yells into the empty air. “And for the love of, well, not your Father, you best agree to bond with me next time, or you can start paying rent for Hester!!” The eagle appears at Tony’s side with an indignant squawk, before returning to the Spirit Plane.

Sciabola sends Tony an emotion bomb which basically acquaints to ‘yeah, you tell ‘em!!’ which Tony finds greatly amusing.

“How is this my life!?” Tony asks the tiger, who turns from him and goes back to his sunspot in response. “Right.”


	3. Complications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just ignore the fact that Samandriel and Gadriel and stuff are actually in Supernatural... also, yehep, Q's a Holmes.

“Oh my God! Tony, your Sentinel is gorgeous!!” Rodney exclaims when Tony goes to the Spirit Plane the next day, for his daily meetup with the others.

“What?” Tony yells, totally taken off guard. “What do you mean?!?”

“He dropped by earlier, said something about testing a theory, and he asked John and I some really weird fucking questions, and Teyla and Ronon, too. And then he just _vanished_. It was sooo cool. You _have_ to ask him to share the specs for the technology that allows him to do that!! _And_ you definitely have to ask him to share the specs for the technology that lets him traverse galaxies in like minutes!!!” Rodney babbles, his eyes alight with _Science._

“He is a looker, not going to lie.” Q admits, shamelessly. “He dropped by Vauxhall this morning. He’s very short, but I’d totally tap that.”

“I’m going to fucking kill him.” Tony mutters, anger rippling through him. “He can take the time to go explore galaxies and chat to all my friends but he can’t sit down and fucking discuss our bond with me?!?!”

“That’s all Sentinels for you, I’m afraid.” Blair replies, rolling his eyes. “Jim breaks out in hives the moment I mention anything ‘spiritual’ in his hearing.”

“Oh my gosh! I must have fucked up so bad in a past life. Did I kill a Saint?! Did I?! What did I do to deserve this?!” Tony exclaims. Pi wraps around him in an attempt to offer whatever comfort the octopus can, patting worriedly at Tony with his eight arms. “I killed a Saint. That’s what I did. I have to have. Nothing else makes sense.” Tony mutters, the others deciding to ignore him and his existential crisis and get on with their regular discussions about pride dynamics and any juicy new S/G related news.

* * *

“So, how was your trip?” Tony asks leadingly when Gabriel appears after three days.

“Uh. My trip was good? Why do you ask?” Gabriel replies, eyes a little wild as he senses some kind of trap. Tony just hums at him and looks away.

“So, find out anything interesting from my Shaman friends?”

“Uhm. Yes, actually. They’re not Guides.” Gabriel admits, and he notes the way Tony’s entire body tenses for a moment, before relaxing.

“What?”

“They’re Regulators. And their bond mates are Guardians.”

“But I thought-“

“That Regulators and Guardians were angelic? They are.” Gabriel grins widely when Tony turns to look at him with startled eyes. “I told you Dad deactivated our Potentials. What I didn’t tell you was that some of us decided to become human, rather than lose the bond they’d already created. Every Shaman in existence is a Regulator, and all their partners are Guardians. _One_ of each pair is a fallen angel. Though, it’s possible that if there are still any un-bonded Shaman, their partner is actually one of the Emerged Guardians still in Heaven.”

“Oh. Really? Who is-? Can you tell me-? Uhm.” Tony trails off, shaking his head. “Never mind.”

“Of the pairing of Rodney McKay and John Sheppard, McKay is the angel. In heaven, he was called Umabel, and his sphere was sciences. The pairing of Teyla Emmagan and Ronon Dex, Dex is the angel. In heaven, he was called Gadriel, and he brought the art of warfare to humans, he also brought cosmetics. The pairing of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, Holmes is the angel. In heaven, he was called Kabniel, and his sphere was the curing of stupidity in humans. The pairing of Mycroft Holmes and Gregory Lestrade, Holmes is the angel. In heaven, he was called Anabiel, and his sphere was the curing of stupidity in humans. He and Kabniel were inseparable at the best of times.”

“That’s so not true anymore.” Tony says with a little laugh, Sciabola seems to disagree, sending Tony images of the brothers tracking each other across London and beyond. “Oh. Actually. Hmm.” Gabriel laughs and shakes his head.

“I doubt they’d have changed their ways too much. Of the pairing of Lysander Holmes and James Bond, Holmes is the angel.”

“Holy shit, his name is Lysander?!?” Tony exclaims, cutting Gabriel off, Gabriel only gives him a confused look and Tony clears his throat. “He’s only ever been introduced to me as Q.”

“Ah. Well, yes, his name is Lysander. In heaven, his name was Samandiriel and his sphere was imagination and innovation. Of the pairing of Temperance Brennan and Seeley Booth, Brennan is the angel.”

“Really?” Tony asks, surprised. “Not Booth?”

“No. In heaven, Temperance was called Azrael and her sphere was death.”

“Oh. So that’s why she-“

“Yes. That’s why she’s a forensic anthropologist. Of the pairing of Blair Sandburg and Jim Ellison, Ellison is the angel. In heaven, he was called Raquel and his sphere was justice.”

“Yeah. That sounds about right.” Tony admits, nodding his head. “Did you tell them?”

“No. I’m waiting on some information from my Beta before I make a decision to tell them or not.”

“You have a Beta?”

“Mhm, his name is Balthazar, and he’s kind of an asshole?”

“Isn’t that just another name for the Devil?” Tony asks, Gabriel frowns at him, his head cocked to the side before he starts laughing.

“No, that’s Beelzebub.”

“ _Oh._ ”

“Hmm.”

“Okay!!” Tony exclaims, his mood suddenly changing. “As interesting as all this angelic shit is. I don’t care about it right now. Are you actually going to bond with me or are you just going to keep dropping by, chatting with me, and then fucking off for days on end?”

“Oh. I didn’t think you’d want to bond this early. Considering you’ve only just found out about my angelic self…”

“Why are…-? Whatever! The ridiculousness of Sentinels and Guardians can wait for another time. Yes, I want to bond. Do you _know_ what this little thing called Sentinel Longing is?” Tony asks, trying to stare into Gabriel’s soul, and at some point Gabriel figures he should drop the fact that he doesn’t have a soul.

“Oh. I didn’t think you’d experience that, because I still…” Gabriel hesitates before sighing heavily. “I still don’t feel the burning desire to bond. Whenever I’m near you, I want it. But when I’m away from you, it’s… not there? I just feel like I’ve felt since Dad took away the Longing all that time ago.”

“Huh. Not gonna lie, that makes me feel all funny and unhappy.” Tony admits, rubbing his hand over his chest. “Also, if I ever meet your Dad I’m punching Him in the face?” Gabriel laughs and shakes his head.

“You’ll have to get in line behind Sam and Dean Winchester for that.”

“The Winchester Brothers!” Tony yells, eyes going wide. “How do you know them?” Tony demands, getting into Gabriel’s face. Gabriel’s eyes widen, and he spins Tony away, so Tony hits the edge of the couch and collapses into it.

“Uh, they’re currently really the only things keeping the world from ending?”

“WHAT?! They’re on the FBI’s most wanted list, and have been for a while!”

“Haha, I forgot about that. I gotta fix that, or drop subtle hints to Cas.”

“So they’re… good?”

“Uh, they aren’t saints if that is what you are asking? Far from it. But they’re also not keen on the whole hell thing either, so, yeah. I guess so? Dean’s a Guardian who has been on the cusp of emerging for fucking _years_ and it’s pissing me off. Honestly, I think it’s pissing his Regulator off, too.”

“Huh. Right, well, we can discuss that more later. Now, bonding. What’s happening?”

“Let’s go to Mars.”

“What?”

“Actually, no. Let’s go visit Rodney.”

“What?”

“C’mon, it’ll be fun. We can bond in the Pegasus Galaxy, and honeymoon from planet to planet all the way back to Earth.”

“Oh my God, _what_?!”

“Let’s go!!!” Gabriel exclaims, grabbing Tony’s hand vanishing with him.

* * *

Rodney is enjoying a quiet evening manning the gate controls while Chuck is busy nesting with his beautiful, terrifying, alien Sentinel. Rodney’s own Sentinel is dozing on the stairs, playing a mental game of Prime, Not Prime with Rodney while Rodney fiddles away with a project on his computer.

“So, Madora is totally gonna eat Chuck alive, right?” Rodney asks, absently. John starts laughing.

“Oh, totally. That boy is so not prepared for her.”

“Hmm. It’ll be interesting to see them together, though.” Rodney concedes, before both he and John are up on their feet at a familiar feeling settling over them. Before either of them can speak, Gabriel and Tony appear in the middle of the room.

“What the fuck, Gabriel! No! What did we say about warnings!! Oh my God!!” Tony exclaims, looking around wildly, his heart rate skyrocketing, and his breathing becoming erratic. “I have bad lungs! God!! Why would you do this to me?!” Tony wheezes, before he and Gabriel vanish in an instant. Rodney watching where they’d been with wide eyes.

“Was that-?” John starts to ask, trailing off, his own eyes wide.

“Gabriel and Tony? Mhm.”

“Uhm?”

“ _Right?!_ “

* * *

They appear in the ruins of Sateda, Tony’ hands clenched in Gabriel’s shoulders, the angel doesn’t seem to care.

“Tony, breathe, okay? Just breathe, you’re fine.” Gabriel tells him, trying to coach him through the breathing exercises he’d learned after his stint with the plague. Tony nods at his Guardian stupidly as he sucks in air through his lungs.

“This is why we warn before we vanish!” Tony gasps out, Gabriel looks at him guiltily and ducks his head.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll, uhm, I’ll try harder to remember.”

“Good. Where are we?”

“Uhm. This was supposed to be Sateda. But I think I dumped us on the wrong planet? Cos there’s nothing here but ruins.”

“Oh.” Tony answers, sucking in a final deep breath and letting it out slowly as he straightens. “This _is_ Sateda.”

“No, it can’t be. Sateda is where Dad sent the vast majority of the Fallen when they chose to remain with their Potentials.”

“Yeah.” Tony says, his voice quiet and sad. “And Sateda was destroyed by the Wraith about a decade ago.”

“Oh.” Gabriel answers, his voice low and dangerous. Hester appears at his side, body tense. “Tell me about the Wraith.”

“Later. Gabriel, we came here to bond. So, let’s bond.”

“Okay.”

* * *

 _Apparently_ Angelic bonding does _not_ involve sex. Which makes Tony laugh hysterically and then demand Gabriel satisfy him because he is _not_ going celibate for the rest of his goddamn life.

Tony also thinks Gabriel’s a goddamn liar, because the things he knows how to do make Tony feel sinful, and that’s saying a lot since Gabriel’s a fucking angel.

“I dated the Goddess Kali once.” Gabriel says in explanation, and Tony thinks it’s a pretty good excuse. Tony’s pretty sure he’d sin too if it meant he got to have sex with a goddess.

* * *

They spend three days _‘bonding’_ before the emptiness of Sateda finally gets to Gabriel and he demands Tony tell him everything he possibly can about the Wraith, it doesn’t end very well.

* * *

Tony wakes to find Gabriel missing, and it should bother him that he’s already used to Gabriel leaving him behind. He can still feel Gabriel through their newly formed bond, and he’s startled to find that he can _‘see’_ Gabriel’s levels. He’s certain no other Guide has that ability.

Tony spends about ten minutes packing up their camp and heads for the Stargate. He stands in front of it for a good long while before stepping out of the blast radius, and sinking into a meditative pose, drifting into the Jungle. Once there, he immediately tugs on Teyla and Rodney’s threads.

“Guys. Gabriel left me on Sateda? Help.” Tony says, pouting at them when they appear. Teyla laughs at him and shakes her head.

“You have a strange Sentinel, indeed.” Tony sighs heavily and rolls his eyes.

“Gabriel takes great offense to being called a Sentinel. He prefers the term ‘Guardian.’”

“Really?” Rodney asks, intrigued. “That’s what the Sentinel’s on Sateda used to be called.”

“Hmm, and I might have a reason for that that I can’t tell you yet. Now hurry up and help me!! I’m sitting in front of the gate on Sateda and I have no idea when Gabriel will be back.”

“Where’s he gone?” Rodney asks, a little wide eyed.

“I told him about the Wraith.” Tony huffs. “I think he’s gone off to wage a one-man war against them.”

“Oh God. Teyla, you cannot tell Ronon this!”

“I’m not going to be able to keep that from him, Rodney.”

“Great.” Rodney says with a scowl. “Tony, I’m sending Ronon and Teyla to you.”

“Are you sure sending Ronon is a good idea? It used to be his home.”

“Trust me, if I don’t send him, he’ll just invite himself.”

“Right. Well, do that then. It’s kind of really lonely out here, and I don’t like it.”

* * *

“So, you’re Tony.” Is the first thing Ronon says to him when Ronon and Teyla step out of the gate. Tony smiles at him and nods his head.

“Yes, I am he. And Teyla and Rodney sooo better have been telling you good things about me!” Tony exclaims, before he’s pulled into a tight hug by Teyla.

“And I hear your Guardian is off fighting the Wraith?” Ronon adds, cocking an eyebrow. Tony rolls his eyes.

“Don’t even go there! I’m going to tear his head off when he pops back up so if you decide to join his cause, you’ll be leaderless pretty quickly.” Tony informs him, glaring darkly back towards where their camp had been. “Asshole promises to take me on the wildest fucking honeymoon ever, and then he ditches me three days into it instead.”

* * *

They’re getting ready to go through the gate when Tony screams and falls to his knees as a sudden pain shoots through him, he knows enough to realize it’s not _his_ pain but _Gabriel’s._ He knows enough to know someone is trying to interfere with their bond. From far away, he hears Hester screeching and Sciabola roaring, he ignores it. He closes his eyes, and when he opens them again, he is somewhere else, and there is, what Tony imagines to be, a Wraith Queen standing before him, her hand pressed against his chest. Tony realizes he’s seeing as Gabriel.

Tony remembers how he’d felt when he’d woken up, and he remembers being able to see Gabriel’s levels. He pictures them in his mind now, and is only minutely startled when they appear.

_“Tony!”_

Gabriel’s voice is like an air horn in his mind.

 _“Let me help you, idiot. You still owe me a fucking honeymoon!!”_ Tony retorts as he forces Gabriel’s senses to slowly level out. Touch he dials right down as far as it can go, and the pain seems to become background. _“What is_ she _doing?”_

 _“The Nephilim, they- I’ll explain later.”_ Gabriel replies, as Tony feels the strange interference into the bond, again.

 _“That’s_ her _right?”_ Tony asks, even as he turns his attention towards shoving her away, letting Gabriel regain control of his own senses.

_“Yes. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”_

_“Just get your ass back to me!”_ Tony orders, shoring up Gabriel’s mental shields, and all but wrenching the Queen from their bond. He feels a familiar empathic touch brushing against his mind, and he groans. _“I have to go. Ask me for help_ before _she starts feeding, next time?!”_

 _“Right. Yes. Good. Sorry.”_ Gabriel answers, before Tony closes his eyes, and opens them onto the gate room of Atlantis, more specifically, the ceiling of the gate room of Atlantis. Rodney, Teyla, and Ronon crowding around him.

“Uhm. Hey, guys.” Tony says with a low groan as he sits up and feels how suddenly bone weary his body has become. “What’s up?”

“Where did you go?”

“Gabriel. A Wraith Queen tried to feed on him.” Tony explains, or thinks he does, only to frown when he notes the confused looks of his friends. “Uh…” he tries to explain again, but realizes he’s tripping over his words and making no sense at all. “Oh. Sciabola.” Tony mumbles, the tiger appearing at his side in an instant, nuzzling up against him. “Tell the nice people about Gabriel. K?” Tony says before crumbling back to the floor, unconscious.

* * *

“Dammit.” Rodney exclaims as Tony plummets back to the floor, he turns to look expectantly at Sciabola, who turns unimpressed eyes on him and projects an image of Gabriel surrounded by golden light at him. “Yes?” the image is followed by another of a Wraith Queen, and then finally a Wraith Queen feeding on Gabriel. Rodney’s eyes widen and he lets out a string of curses in all the languages he knows.

“Where are they? Can we get to him? How did he-?” Rodney is cut off by Sciabola growling lowly, and chuffing when Rodney falls silent. The tiger projects an image of Gabriel standing over the dead Wraith’s body, frowning. “Oh. He won?” Rodney asks, the tiger nodding. “Huh. So, does that mean Carson can move Tony to the infirmary now? Before he has a conniption fit?” in answer, Sciabola gets to his feet and leisurely starts making his way to the infirmary. “Carson!!”

* * *

Tony remains unconscious for two days, alternately resting peacefully, and screaming his lungs out. It concerns Rodney and Teyla both greatly, and as a result, John and Ronon hover around the infirmary like helicopters. It’s not until Gabriel appears, bloody and looking like he’s fought the fight of the just, that things settle down. Tony doesn’t wake, but he seems to settle into a dreamless sleep.

“Hi!” Gabriel exclaims as he notes the party gathered around his Bonded’s bed. “Uhm?”

“Did they not teach you to take your Guide with you wherever you come from?!” Rodney yells, bursting to his feet and getting riled up for a good rant.

“Uhm.” Gabriel says, cocking his head to the side. “Actually? They got rid of all the ‘ _Guides’_ where I came from, save those of my siblings who presented as such. I’ve been Guideless for a good few thousand years now.” Gabriel answers, shrugging his shoulders. Rodney falling silent in surprise. “Oh. One second.” Gabriel states, before snapping his fingers. His clothing seems to mend and clean itself instantaneously. “There we go. Now I’m not dripping blood all over the nice floors.”


	4. Endings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final part of this story. Since stories for the Rough Trade were only allowd to be 10-15k long, There will be other stories to follow, one of which is being written atm (and was my second entry for Rough Trade). I think I'm going to end up writing stories for each of the pairs.

“Okay. Kiddies, time to go to school now!” Gabriel chirps, clapping his hands together. “Have fun learning, and you can tell me all about it later!” he says with a little grin before snapping his fingers, and the others in the room slump over, Gabriel moving quickly through the room to ensure none of them face plant into the floor. “Don’t anyone be asking me any weird questions.”

“Who the bloody hell are you?” a voice asks as the door swings open, Gabriel glares at it, and pouts internally at not focusing on the information his senses were providing him.

“Like _that_. I’m Gabriel.”

“Oh. Good. I’ve been waiting to have words with you.” The newcomer states, eyes narrowing. Gabriel takes in the white lab coat and makes a face.

“Ugh. You’re a doctor, aren’t you?”

“Yes, lad. Doctor Carson Beckett. Now, I have to ask-“

“No!” Gabriel exclaims, snapping his fingers and pulling Carson into the room as the doctor slumps over.

The moment Gabriel touches the man, he feels a ripple in his mind, comfortable and familiar, and his senses slide up a few levels for a few moments before sliding back down. Gabriel shakes the feeling off, to deal with later, and looks around the room a little panicked before conjuring up a chair and pushing Carson down into it. Gabriel glances down at his hands, contemplating burning them in holy oil for a few seconds to get rid of the Taint of Raphael.

“You’re a dork.” A very welcome, and familiar voice cuts in, it is quiet, and tired sounding, but it has Gabriel spinning towards it instantly.

“Hi! I know. Sorry. I _promise_ not to get fed on next time.”

“No, you’re a fucking asshole for _that_. But your aversion to doctors is _cute_ , and something we have in common.” Tony admits, as Gabriel appears on the bed beside him, reaching for his hand, Tony offers it without resistance. “So, what did you do to my new found friends?” Tony questions, raising an eyebrow.

“I sent them to school. They’re learning about Guardians and Regulators.” Gabriel says with a grin, before he remembers that strange feeling he’d had when he touched Beckett. He turns back to the doctor and cocks his head to the side.

“What?”

“I’m just going to test a theory.” Gabriel says, taking a deep breath in and closing his eyes. Tony gasps as _power_ flows through him from his bond with Gabriel, who smirks. “Should have warned you about that, I suppose.” Gabriel admits with a mumble. “Close your eyes.” And Tony _does._

* * *

The breath gushes out of him as a giant spider web of multi-coloured light appears in his mind. He looks down to find a shimmering golden light flowing into, and out of(?), his chest. He follows the thread to Gabriel, who has hundreds upon thousands of other threads shimmering out from him, none of them are golden except the one that links the two of them together.

“Now, don’t go getting jealous. You’ve got threads of your own, you just can’t see them yet.” Gabriel explains, pulling Tony closer to him. “The golden thread is _ours_. There will never be another golden thread, not in our mindscape. However, if you looked into Rodney and John’s mindscape, you’d find their thread is golden. Ours would be silver in that case.”

“Right. Golden for our mindscape. Silver for other’s.”

“Good. This thread here,” Gabriel states, fingers carefully grasping and holding up a shimmery blue thread, “this is Balthazar. He is my Beta. The Beta will always appear as blue. I still haven’t figured out why, but it is what it is.” Gabriel smiles widely then as he grasps another blue thread, lighter and weaker than the other. “This is Carson.”

“Carson?” Tony exclaims, eyes wide. “Rodney’s never mentioned anything about another Shaman on the City.”

“That would be because Carson is not emerged.”

“Wow, really? Even after the Wraith and everything?”

“Even after.” Gabriel confirms, nodding his head. “When Carson emerges, his thread will shine brighter, but the colour will not darken until he bonds with Balthazar.” Gabriel sighs heavily and shakes his head, he releases Carson’s thread to grasp a vibrant red thread, it has a lighter red thread twined around it. “This is Castiel. He is the strongest of my Regulator siblings. The strongest Regulator of the Guardian sect will _always_ be red. If Castiel falls, his thread will fade, and someone else will become red.”

“Oh, really? They just… fade?” Tony asks, wanting to reach out and hold each thread to him, protect them as much as he possibly can. Gabriel laughs and shakes his head.

“Yeah. They fade. But if Dad wants it, the thread stays, and it’s how I know they’ll come back eventually.”

“Oh, could you track the Satedans like that?”

“No.” Gabriel answers, their bond rippling with a soul crushing sadness. “I lost track of their threads the moment they were cut from Heaven. But let’s change the subject.”

“Right. Okay.”

“This is Dean Winchester.” Gabriel says, indicating the weaker thread. “Winchester is the Guardian in the pair, but he is not online. With how close he and Castiel are to each other in their day to day lives, Dean has claimed Castiel in the only way he can. In his mind, Castiel is his. And no one will dare challenge that. This is what will normally happen when a pair has found each other, but one, or both, are not emerged.”

“Castiel is your strongest Regulator even without a Bond?” Tony asks, incredulous. Gabriel smirks.

“Castiel is a piece of shit. Dad made him with a little bit more free will than the rest of us. I’m pretty sure Dad’s gonna make him the Angel of Free Will when Dean gets his butt online, which means Cas is gonna become an Archangel at some point.”

“Huh. So what are we doing here?”

“I needed to see if I was correct in my theory. When I touched Beckett, I got an echo of what being around Balthazar is like. So, now we gotta go tell Balthy. I’m so recording this!”

* * *

By the time they return from their mindscape, Rodney and Ronon are awake again, glaring at them.

“What the hell was that?!” Rodney exclaims, Tony grins.

“Oooooohhhh, boy, you in trouble!!” Tony chimes at Gabriel, giggling when his Guardian pouts at him.

“I sent you people to school so I wouldn’t have to answer any of your dumb questions.” Gabriel whines, Rodney’s eyes narrow.

“I’m not an angel.”

“Want a bet?” Gabriel asks with a beaming grin.

“I’m an atheist.” Rodney tries, Gabriel shrugs.

“So are half of heaven at this point. Next excuse.”

“I’m… human.”

“Well, yes, _now_ you are. I thought that was explained to you in the lesson?”

“It was.” Rodney admits, reluctantly.

“Then why are you asking me about it?” Gabriel huffs and rolls his eyes. “You are Umabel, Angel of Sciences. He is Gadriel, Angel of Cosmetics and War.” Gabriel says, pointing at Ronon, who scowls.

“Yeah about that. Those two things don’t really go together all that well.”

“War paint.” Gabriel points out, Ronon blinks in surprise and then looks away contemplatively. “Any further questions?”

“So many!” Rodney exclaims, throwing his hands in the air. “I can’t believe you!”

“Well don’t. Believe the new abilities you just spent the last few minutes learning.”

“Wait. That was real, too? I can really do that?”

“Mhmm. What do you think Tony did for me when I was fighting the Wraith?”

“Wow!” Rodney yells, his mind utterly blown. “I need to go study this!” Rodney exclaims, before looking at his still slumbering Sentinel and scowling. “How long is he going to be out?”

“As long as it takes him to learn his gifts.” Gabriel answers with a shrug. “It is easier for angels, fallen or otherwise, to get in touch with their gifts than it is for humans.”

“Right. And what did you do to Carson?” Rodney asks, glancing to his friend.

“Oh. He’s learning, too. He’ll wake up online.”

“What?!” Rodney shouts, concern and anger and helplessness surging through him, Tony frowns.

“Gabriel?”

“He’ll be alright. Because he is not the Angelic member of the pair, and his Guardian is already online, he’ll have a nice and painless emergence, like your own.”

“Wait, painless?” Rodney asks, turning slowly to Tony, his emotions still rolling through him, and Tony realizes that the only reason he can feel them is because Rodney is projecting them to the Psionic plane, where they usually become muffled by the Spirit Animals, but because of their close proximity, Tony can still feel them.

“Yeah, painless. One moment I was latent; the next I was a Shaman.”

“Lucky you.” Rodney replies, scowling. “I put down half of Toronto when I came online. Loup was trying to help me, but I wouldn’t obey because I thought I was going mad.”  


“Honestly, I’m not surprised.” Gabriel answers, smiling. “We were created with an innate understanding of our abilities. Our Spirit Guides never had to teach us anything. They helped when we couldn’t control our abilities and when our other halves were too far away, but they didn’t Teach us anything. Instinctively, we shy away from attempts on their part to Teach, because it feels wrong to us. You feel it, even without your grace. Because being a Regulator is just something that is part of you, you still have access to all the Regulator abilities you had as an angel. But you can’t use them now because you reject your spirit guides attempts to Teach you, and without your grace, you lack the knowledge of your past self, you lack the knowledge of all you were created to be.”

“Huh.”

“And that’s enough learning for one day!!” Gabriel states, before scooping Tony up into his arms and vanishing with him to a galaxy far, far away.

No, just kidding.

* * *

“This is my apartment.”

“Yes.”

“You promised me a Honeymoon.”

“I did. And you will have one. I just have to take care of _one_ thing first.”

“Gabriel.”

“Be back in two seconds.”

“Gabriel!!”

* * *

The moment Gabriel is gone, Tony sinks into a meditative pose and allows himself to drift into the Jungle, once there, he pulls on Rodney’s thread, and the other Shaman comes almost immediately.

“Tony?” Rodney exclaims, rushing over to him to check him over. “You’re alright? Where did you two go?!”

“I’m fine, Rodney. I’m at my apartment. Gabriel’s taken off somewhere again.”

“I’m soooo punching the shit out of him when I get my grace back!!” Rodney yells, angrily shaking his fist in a direction neither of them is sure Gabriel is.

“So you believe?” Tony asks quietly, watching his friend closely.

“I don’t know. I guess?” Rodney admits, sinking to the floor, Loup bounds across the ground to settle his head in Rodney’s lap while Sciabola explores the trees. “I mean, it’s not that crazy. I work in another galaxy; you know? I’ve nearly ascended before. John turned into a bug, like twice? Kind of. I mean, finding out I’m a fallen angel isn’t too crazy. It’s just… something I will need time to wrap my head around.”

“Yeah. Well, you ever need to talk.”

“Hmm. I’ll probably end up taking you up on that.” Rodney answers, sighing heavily and shaking his head. “So, is Gabriel gonna tell the others?”

“You mean Blair and them? Maybe. He told me he was waiting on something before he let you know. But then he didn’t want to deal with any questions from you or Ronon or the others, so he let you guys know. And then he figured out that Carson is his Beta’s Regulator, so…” Tony says, shrugging his shoulders, Rodney’s eyes widen.

“Carson is the Beta Regulator for _All_ of our society?” he exclaims, incredulous. Tony throws his head back and laughs.

“He _is_ a doctor, and you know how they run roughshod over everyone else where their patients are concerned.”

“Oh. Good point. That's  _so_ like an Alpha Guide. I just, can’t imagine it. It's Carson, you know? Well, you probably don't know, because you don't know Carson. But _I_ know Carson, and it's... it's _Carson_.”

“Hmm.”

* * *

“BALTHAZAR!” Gabriel exclaims, appearing beside the angel and grabbing him by the lapels of his shirt. “I FOUND YOUR REGULATOR!” Gabriel yells, suddenly excited in a way he hasn’t been in centuries upon centuries.

“Huh?” Balthazar asks, hanging limp in Gabriel’s hold, he’s very used to Gabriel’s manhandling.

“Your Regulator, I found them! Hah!” Gabriel explains, beaming widely. “He’s a doctor, and he lives in another galaxy, participating in a war against one of the Nephilim’s idiotic experiments. He’s pretty.”

“Right, and I’ll thank you to stop hitting on my Regulator. You have a pretty enough one of your own.” Balthazar replies, even as his senses go on high alert, gearing up for a Hunt.

“Come with me!!” Gabriel states, before vanishing with Balthazar still held tight in his grip.

* * *

The room erupts into yelling the moment Gabriel and Balthazar appear, everyone but Rodney and Teyla reaching for weapons and growling.

“Sorry!” Balthazar says, glaring darkly at Gabriel when he takes in the room. “You could have waited until he was alone, Gabriel.”

“Ew. I promised my Regulator a honeymoon, and I’m interrupting it to set you up with your one and only. A bit more gratitude wouldn’t go amiss, Balthazar. I’m the best wingman _ever_.” Gabriel states, pouting, Balthazar rolls his eyes.

“Get out!” Balthazar exclaims, throwing his arms up in exasperation. “Go and honeymoon. For the love of Father, stop butting into everyone else's lives for like five Daddamn seconds.”

“I am feeling supremely unloved right now.”

“Go!”

“Fine.” Gabriel says with a sigh, vanishing with a snap of his fingers.

“Father, I hate that guy sometimes.” Balthazar admits with an exhale of breath, before turning towards his Regulator, the partial bond already solidifying between them with their meeting, but there's something... wrong? “He’s not online?” Balthazar states, looking up at the others in the room.

“Uh, Gabriel said he’d be online when he woke.” The younger of the two other Guardians states, pressed up against his beautiful Regulator as she slumbers. Balthazar gasps as a sudden pain spikes through him, seeming to be projected by the Guardian. As he breathes through the pain he catches a glimpse of a purple thread springing up between them.

“ _Oh_. So you’re Gadriel, then.” Balthazar says, smiling at the realization. “And that one must be Umabel.” He states, nodding his head at Rodney, who is sat in a meditative pose upon the floor.”

“Apparently, so.” Gadriel replies, shrugging his shoulders.

“Yes, you do look like someone with great knowledge of war.” Balthazar admits with a little smirk. “Hmm, Dad’s a crafty fucker. Placing the Angel of Warcraft in the midst of a war with the creations of the Nephilim.” He laughs, shaking his head. “Oh, Dad does love his tricks.”

“Tricks?” Gadriel questions, as his Regulator begins to stir.

“Yes, tricks. I have a gift for you.” He glances from Gadriel to Umabel, frowning. “Both of you.” He says, pulling a pair of glowing vials from his pocket, the light swirling within them like divine smoke.

“Is that-?” Gadriel beings to ask, his eyes wide.

“Your grace? Yes. Gabriel tasked me with finding it. Over the course of the next few months, I will be seeking out our fallen brothers and sisters and returning their grace to them as I find them. It is high time the Guardian Sector woke up.”

* * *

“Hey, John’s calling me back. Apparently there's something urgent that needs my attention.” Rodney says, interrupting the quiet and peace he and Tony had settled into, Tony nods his head.

“Yeah, I’ve been ignoring Gabriel’s summons for the last ten minutes.” He admits with a little grin, Rodney laughs and smacks him on the arm.

“He deserves it.”

“He definitely does. Go on then.” Tony says, making shooing motions at his friend. Rodney goes with a laugh, slowly fading from the Spirit Plane, Loup lingering for a few seconds before following his Regulator. Tony huffs and allows himself to return to his own Guardian.

* * *

“So. That honeymoon you wanted. Where do you want to go?” Gabriel asks, the moment he’s certain Tony is back with him.

“I’m still partial to working our way back here from Pegasus.” Tony replies, wistfully. “However, if you _ever_ leave me behind again, I’m not going to be here when you return.” He states, voice cold and hard.

“What?” Gabriel exclaims, eyes wide. “But-“

“You have already proven you can survive without a Guide, or a Regulator for thousands of years, so long as you are not hurt enough to send you into a spike or a zone out. And _I_ have already proven that I can balance you from a distance. You leave me behind again, there won’t be a place you find me where I will welcome you with open arms. I’ve done that loyalty to a disloyal partner thing before. It never ends well for me when I stick around, so…”

“Okay. Okay, I’m sorry. I’ll take you with me wherever I go from now on.” Gabriel replies, panicking.

“Calm down. I’m not going to sever our bond or anything ridiculous like that. I would just like for you to remember that we are now a bonded pair for _life_. For Sentinels and Guides, that would mean we’d become essentially inseparable. I’m sorry if I’m being clingy or unreasonable, but I’d like to know I mean more to my Guardian than just someone who he can ground his senses on.”

“I’m sorry!” Gabriel says again, his emotions swirling. “You're so much more to me than just someone I can ground my senses on. I’ve been on my own for thousands of years. I’m used to being alone. Suddenly having someone I’m meant to share every aspect of my life with is scary.”

“Oh, I get that. I haven’t been alone for as long as you have, but if there’s one thing I’ve learnt in all my time being an Undercover Agent, and the unwanted child of a rich man, it’s that you can be alone even in a room full of people. So I get it, Gabriel. And I’m struggling here, too. But I would _never_ leave you behind like you’ve been doing to me. You left me behind on _Sateda_. For all you know, scavengers could have set up shop there, after all, why would the Wraith ever return to a planet they decimated?” Tony asks, and Gabriel cringes.

“I didn’t think-“

“No. You didn’t. And you haven’t been. I’m not weak. I’m not useless, Gabriel. But I am only one man, and if you leave me behind, alone, on unknown worlds, I can’t promise I’ll be able to keep myself safe.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Good. Don’t do it again.”

“Promise.” The word leaves Gabriel’s mouth, and he gasps as his bond with Tony seems to grow stronger, Tony gives him a little smirk.

“You were rejecting me, my presence in your life, my assistance. Your refusal to take me with you put a strain on our bond that you couldn’t even feel because it’s not your job to maintain the bond, it’s mine, and I was ignoring it. But I’m not going to do that anymore.”

“Did I hurt you?” Gabriel questions, suddenly concerned. He knows that a rejection of a bond already formed can cause harm to the Regulator, and in some cases, the Guardian. He hadn’t even thought-

“No. I put a stop to it soon enough that no harm was done. Seriously, though. Don’t fucking leave me behind again.”

“Okay.”

* * *

It starts with an empathic event that ripples its way through the Pegasus Galaxy and the entire Psionic Plane. It brings every Latent Sentinel and Guide in the Universe over the age of fifteen online, and even a few Mundanes emerge with gifts.

It only grows stronger in the months that follow, until Sentinels and Guides outnumber Mundanes. And every predator to the Tribe, to the Pride, knows that Earth, and all worlds where humans exist, are protected.

* * *

And now, I could do with a drink.

_Endings are hard._


End file.
